The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

9. Walls may be able to stop ordinary magical beasts, but what about monsters that are at the level of phantom beasts or even divine beasts?

The path of the monsters was flooded by Leonidas, and their numbers were greatly reduced.

5 However, the defenses on the city walls still looked crumbling, the barrier activated from the temple in the city to drive away the monsters was almost useless, and the soldiers showed no fighting spirit, like walking corpses.

Even if they can hold out for a few more days, how long can they hold out? I'm afraid it won't be long before the entire city is swallowed up by monsters.

Manju got no respite and continued to wield the lightning as he walked forward, the torrent of lightning becoming his vanguard as he cleansed the road.

The lightning bolts quickly cleared a patch of ground, though it would soon be filled with more monsters. However, there weren't many monsters there at the moment, and it should be cleared out with some effort.

Manshu glanced around and estimated that there were only one or two thousand magical beasts on the field, since the real army of magical beasts was not yet complete.

Manshu quickly cleared out the nearby monsters to the point that they could no longer be replenished, allowing him to reach the foot of Nippur City relatively safely.

Manshu did not rush into the city, but instead reached out and touched the ruins of the ramparts, which had been ravaged by monsters.

"There are still some usable elements. As long as the magnificent temple can regain its glory, the foundation of the earth will also regain its majesty."

Even amidst the crumbling walls, Manshu could still sense a lingering mystery; the temples scattered throughout the city still preserved these mysteries.

Not only the temple of Enlil, but also the temples of many other gods such as Ninurta, Nanna, Inanna, and Manungal, were worshipped in this city.

Manshu jumped directly from the ground onto the city wall. The soldiers on the wall had long seen Manshu arrive here in a grand manner. Even the blind could feel the surging heat, and those with eyes could see the lightning flowing on the ground.

Although it wasn't Manshu's identity, and his attire didn't seem to belong to anyone from Sumer, the soldiers still considered Manshu as an ally providing assistance, since he had come from the direction of Uruk and was also slaughtering the besieging monsters.

After all, people with such peculiar dressing styles do appear in Uruk, namely the Servants summoned by Gilgamesh.

"Stranger, which city are you from? What brings you to Nippur?"

Manshu had taken quite a while to get here, enough time for the people on the city wall to report. A high-ranking priest had already come to the city wall and asked Manshu a question as soon as he climbed up.

“I come from Uruk, and what I have to do is written on this clay tablet.”

This was promised to me by Gilgamesh. In the next couple of days, some people should have been sent here along with resources. This also tells you what I'm here for; of course, you can choose to ignore it.

Manju tossed the clay tablet in his hand to the priest who came to ask the question, and then pulled the guide behind him, telling him to do the handover.

“I don’t want to waste too much time with them here! If you want, you can talk to them about the rest. I’ll tour the city first so that it will be easier to make subsequent plans.”

Before anyone could say anything, Manshu transformed into a bolt of lightning and vanished from sight, leaving the group bewildered.

"This gentleman has a rather bad temper. He was commissioned by King Gilgamesh to help Nippur defend against the attack of the monsters."

The guide had at least learned a little about Manjus's behavior along the way, and spoke to the priest in a slightly positive light, hoping that he could finish the task as soon as possible and get rid of this deadly errand.

Manju had already arrived on the streets of Nippur. Unlike Uruk, this city still maintained a considerable amount of vitality and energy.

The city looked like any city on the verge of destruction; the streets already showed signs of decay, and it was a lifeless, stagnant place.

There weren't many people on the streets, and not many sounds could be heard. Even when you did see someone, they were always in a hurry and looked gloomy.

The city's order should at least not have collapsed, so there shouldn't be any corpses scattered on the ground. There are just some people who can't go on living waiting to die in dark corners.

"Alas, all glory eventually fades with time, whether it be the people who live here or the temple built by human hands."

Manju came here naturally to admire the temples that could be considered ancient ruins. Although he had traveled around Sumer for some time, he had actually not seen many tower temples.

The temple towers of Eridu had been converted into pyramids, Uruk into a palace for the king, and the northern cities were reduced to ruins. It was in Ur that we found a proper temple.

Unfortunately, the temples here no longer possess the splendor of the myths. Although they are more magnificent than the real-world sights, they do not resemble the sacredness depicted in the hymns.

Manshu walked around the few remaining large pagodas and temples in the city, gained an understanding of the overall layout of the city, and had a general plan in mind.

It is clearly unrealistic to expect the city to rebuild a tower and temple; the city probably doesn't have that much energy.

What could be used was naturally the old one. In Manjusaka's eyes, it seemed that only the largest and most important tower temple in the city could be accommodated, just as the residence of the god-king had been mentioned before.

"Swoosh! No need to think too much. This place will become my domain, my perfect city."

"My sacred words will fill this city, my powerful cry will be omnipresent here, the gods will worship here, and the great King of Gods will sit enthroned in the magnificent temple."

Chapter 143 Cleanliness

The towers and temples in the nine cities have long lost their former sanctity, but what remains is the mystery set up by the priests. Only a few memories of the past can still be seen in these weathered buildings.

Ling Manshu stood before the tower, extending his right hand and letting magic flow out along with his words.

(iv) Then the whole earth began to tremble and make a sound. This magic would shake the mountains and penetrate the earth, allowing the mystery that Manju had imagined to reappear on this land.

⑧ The priests on the tower temple sensed the tremor of the earth and rushed out in a panic.

Among them, the more senior priests maintained their composure, frowning as they reprimanded the flustered young priests.

2. "The barrier around the sacrificial site hasn't been broken, and you haven't heard any shouts of battle outside. What kind of chaos is this!"

(9) The panicked priests were not panicked by natural disasters; a minor earthquake would not have made them so flustered.

0. Rather, such a tremor could not possibly occur here, for this is the foundation of the earth, the sanctuary of the gods.

The only thing capable of causing such a tremor is a terrifying demonic beast that stormed into the city; its enormous size and power shook the earth.

But hearing the old priest's reassuring voice, the young priests calmed down and went out to check the situation with slower pace and expressions.

"There's no one coming or going outside; everything is the same as usual."

The priests who were checking the situation stood on the tower and scanned the area below but saw nothing wrong, and the distant city walls had not been breached.

"Hey, there's a man down there dressed in strange clothes. He doesn't look like he's from here. This style seems to be from Uruk. Didn't they say someone from Uruk was coming in the next couple of days?"

The old priest frowned upon hearing this, but quickly shook his head and got up.

"If it were the group that King Gilgamesh summoned from afar, it would indeed have caused such a commotion. But since the people from Uruk have entered the city, why hasn't anyone come to the temple to report it?"

"Well, you can't blame them. Just holding down the city is exhausting enough; they probably don't have the energy left to think."

At times like these, there's no ability to follow procedures, and there's nothing to criticize or pursue.

There was hardly any resentment or anything left to do in this city. The soldiers were probably too exhausted; they simply released the people without sending anyone to receive them.

"Hurry down and greet the envoy from Uruk. Since King Gilgamesh has sent him, he should be able to help us improve the city's defenses. The materials we brought over a few days ago will surely come in handy."

"We'll go right now."

Several priests immediately grabbed some ritual implements from the side, tidied their attire, and descended from the tower.

Manshu, who was still working on rebuilding the land below, stopped when he saw someone coming down. (4)

Restoring this city to its former glory is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Let's first take a look at the city's original inhabitants.

As a religious holy city, Nippur was truly governed by priests who held divine authority, rather than having a king. ④

The rule here likely remains largely unchanged, representing the era before the emergence of kings in Sumer, the time when priests reigned as kings. 2.

Regarding the power of the priestly king, due to the antiquity of the era, there are not many records, and people can only speculate about the system at that time. (9)

But whether the priests ruled in a council-style rotation or through mutual assassination, the true power remained within this tower temple.

Although perhaps little power remains here, after all, God has departed, and the city is already crumbling. ⑤

At this point, no king in Sumer would need to come to this city for coronation. Sumer had little left, so what could this city possibly have left?

"Stranger, are you an envoy from Uruk sent by King Gilgamesh?"

The priests who had come down set up their formation and asked Manjushri.

"No, it is true that I came here from Uruk, but not on Gilgamesh's orders. Calling it a request or even an exchange would barely get anyone's approval."

Manju withdrew his magic and turned his head to speak.

"Ah... well... please give us the proof from Uruk for verification. Although the monsters show no mercy to the living, some cities have still pledged allegiance to the Monster Goddess in order to survive. Although we don't know if they are still alive, we must be wary of imposters."

The priests exchanged bewildered glances at Manjushri's words, not expecting anyone to be so disrespectful to King Gilgamesh. They were at a loss for what to do and could only request that the evidence be verified. If it was genuine, they would send the person up to be handled by the experienced elders.

As for imposters, it would be more accurate to say that there is one most famous imposter in this land, namely Jingu, who calls himself Enkidu.

However, apart from that, no other citizens of other cities could appear as spies, since the War Goddess did not leave any survivors of the surrendered four, and crushed them all into mincemeat.

"I gave that thing to the officers there when I took it over. Their people should be here soon. The person who can explain things to you is also there. I just didn't want to waste my breath, so I came here alone first."

Manshu shrugged and then walked towards the pagoda temple.

"...In that case, please come with us to see the high priest."

The priests remained silent for a moment, still unwilling to do anything themselves, and decided to leave everything to those who could make the decisions. So they said nothing more and led their men up the tower temple.

However, the last priest naturally went back first to inform the high priest of the situation.

"Is he rather impatient with King Gilgamesh's tone? Perhaps that's not such a bad thing."

The high priest spoke calmly, waving his hand to signal for the preparation of welcoming and greeting ceremonies.

The priests who went to greet them were also proceeding as usual. After all, this was a religious city, and the most important thing was naturally the various rituals.

“Emissary from Uruk, Nippur greets you.”

When Manju arrived at the temple entrance, the priests spoke in unison.

"Welcome to the pure and sacred temple. Before the holiness of Enlil, may you bring the same pure message."

“Of course, what I bring is the sacred word. It is the eternal and unchangeable command of purification. There is nothing more sacred, no one more capable of standing here and speaking than this, whether in Nippur, Uruk, or even in all of Sumer.”

Manshu said bluntly, not looking at the priests here, but instead examining the temple.

Clearly, Manjusaka had already regarded this place as his private property, and was ready to place his throne in this city, in this palace, and what he said was indeed not a lie.

These priests are merely servants of God; could they possibly be more worthy of being here than God himself?

Although the towers and temples that rise from the ground and soar into the sky are built by human hands, they were reserved for the gods.

In the stories that are passed down, people's past is erased, and only the stories of God remain, and the master here is already God.

"Your tone is rather exaggerated. Even if it were King Gilgamesh... only King Gilgamesh could utter such arrogant words, but they would still be nothing more than arrogant talk."

The high priest, who had anticipated this, couldn't quite keep his composure, but he managed to control his expression and spoke to Manshu.

“Of course, Gilgamesh’s arrogance allows him to say unrealistic things, but you also know in your heart that they are just the words of a madman, only he has the power to utter such madness.”

Manju looked around as he walked inside. 8

“But I am different. I possess the power to speak these words, and I have the right to speak them, so that these are not merely the words of a madman, but an established fact.”

Manju took out a stone engraved with an angry serpent from his person and let it fall to the ground.

The stones that fell to the ground immediately seeped into the floor beneath, as if they had melted and liquefied, spreading across the ground.

Although the stone didn't appear very large, it melted upon impact and covered the entire floor in a short time, spreading outwards towards the temple. 6.